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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. swing — in golf
  3. current — of water
  4. root — the cause
  5. game — a match
  6. swing — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — happening now
  10. bark — to shout
  11. last — to go on
  12. bound — certain
  13. swing — to play on
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. current — electric
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bound — obliged
  23. game — wild animals
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com